


The Demon Lo

by Dagonet (TsukikoCurrier)



Category: Kingsman (Movies), The Demon Lo
Genre: Demon Summoning, M/M, Poison, Technically a Reelfic, he cuts his hand?, i guess?, not sure what else to tag this, past Hartwin, there's other demon-y stuff, y'know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 05:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukikoCurrier/pseuds/Dagonet
Summary: Am I really going to summon a fucking demon to get Harry back?Yes I fucking am.





	The Demon Lo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elletromil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/gifts).



> Kingsman AU of a film I've never encountered a person knowing of by the same title. The whole film's on youtube, so go watch it!

Eggsy’d spaced out the purchases of supplies, as if things like planks of wood and paint and _candles_ were somehow illicit. He looked down at the Book, the one reptilian eye gazing back from the cover, and then glanced around the room. The windows were fully covered, the wood barely visible in the candlelight; the carpet pulled up to reveal the wood beneath, upon which the Circle was painted- an inverted pentagram, surrounded by a snake eating its own tail, and outside of that six tall white candles placed equidistant from each other. There were other things drawn in the spaces between pentacle and snake, the small can of paint, and a paintbrush. The property damage would probably cost him his life’s savings and then some, but it would be worth it.

Harry was worth everything.

Eggsy sat himself in the middle of the Circle, and took a deep breath before opening the Book. Counting to himself, he glanced back and forth from the floor, making sure that each thing was _perfect._ He turned the page, and cursed to himself before scrambling up from the floor and dashing into the kitchen, knocking a candle over in his haste.

Can’t summon a demon without blood, after all.

Reseating himself, Eggsy stared blankly into the distance. _Am I really going to summon a fucking_ demon _to get Harry back?_ He looked longingly at the front door, imagining for a moment that Harry would simply stroll through as if he hadn’t been gone for nearly half a year. He couldn’t imagine continuing on as if he had never existed, since no one else seemed to think it was a big deal that he’d gone missing. _Maybe he just got tired of you, Eggsy, it ain’t like you’re anythin’ special._ Ryan had said, knocking one shoulder with his own and laughing. He and Jamal had tried a lot of shit to cheer him up, but Eggsy couldn’t forget him.

His chestnut hair, the little wrinkles at the edges of his eyes and mouth, his penchant for soft-yet-ugly cardigans and bitter tea… his dark sense of humour, the earnest way he offered to run someone through for insulting him, the glint in his eye just before he did something he ought not to and managed to pass the blame on to some hapless passerby. Harry had been gone for just about as long as Eggsy had known him, and yet he couldn’t remember what his life was like before he stumbled into it.

_Yes I fucking am._

He pushed the Book off to one side, revealing a painted eye, and took a sharp breath as he dragged the blade across his left palm. He compulsively closed his hand as the blood welled up, as if pressure alone could seal the wound, but didn’t move it from above the eye. This was _important_ , so Eggsy lifted the book into one hand, leaving his blood dripping into the eye from the other, and began to chant.

‘Bin tu Skamp Li

Bin Ramé freey Li

Crem list skamp Li

Lo

Fige grest ramé tu

Fige whuhd solk

Bin Crame cramé ot

Lo

Bin Crame cramé ot

Lo

Bin Crame cramé ot

Lo!’

He paused, looking about wide-eyed at the empty apartment, but nothing had changed. No one was there. Not like he knew what a demon would look like, anyway, but still. Eggsy put down the book, running one finger over the words written there. Had he pronounced them wrong? Maybe google wasn’t the best way to check pronunciation of words he did not know the language of, but it's not as if he could walk into a bookshop and ask how to pronounce this _demon summoning ritual_ because that’s something that would easily raise a few eyebrows,and likely get his head examined. He turned the page, wondering if there was more he had not seen, and instead came across visual instructions.

‘Stab the bloody eye? Alrigh’ I guess.’ Grabbing the knife he had set aside earlier firmly in his uninjured hand, Eggsy stabbed it firmly into the floor. Of course it did not stick- for all the sharpness of the blade, the tip was dull. Kitchenware. But the candles went out in a gust of wind that simply _was not possible_ from within his sealed apartment, and he knew he had accomplished _something_ \- whether it was the desired result remained to be seen.

‘The fuck’s my lighter?’ Eggsy patted down his pockets, eventually pulling free a small lighter and relit the candles. In the dim light, Eggsy was not sure what was coming toward him- only that something was, close to the ground, accompanied by a sound not unlike a Jurassic Park raptor for whatever reason. It had slow, wet, footsteps, followed by something not unlike dragging a bag across dead leaves. The closer it got the more distinct the dinosaur noises became.

Moaning. Pained, inhuman, moaning getting nearer with every passing moment.

The candles showed an increasingly disturbing image- the torso of a man, skin waxy and grey like a corpse, whose arms were covered in a stringy mould. Its bald head had no back, instead gaping open grotesquely, and when the creature finally looked up the eyes were sunken in and the lipless mouth idly dripped blood. It had no nose, and its skin reminded Eggsy of the infected people from _Waters of Mars_ \- and Eggsy would have chuckled if he had not been desperately gasping for breath in a bid not to pass out from sheer panic.

He had actually managed to summon a demon, and now he had to finish it- or die trying.

\--

_It’s for Harry_ he repeated to himself like a mantra is it got closer _at the end of all this you will have Harry back and you will live happily ever after._ Realistically, Eggsy knew that that was unlikely- even his friendships had bad times- but he needed to see this through.

The creature leaned forward, far too close for comfort, and laughed slowly. It reverberated as if in a cavern, tri-toned and ominous, as his rancid breath hit Eggsy’s face.

‘A-a-a-are you th-the demon Lo? You the demon Lo?’

‘I. Am. That.’ The voice was hoarse, rumbling, and his breath was no better than it was a second before.

‘You-you have. Great power?’

‘This. I. Know.’ He lifted one webbed hand for a moment, summoning for itself a small green creature, rat-like but not a rat, and slowly closed his fist. The rat-thing curled in on itself, squealing, before the skull popped with a wet noise. Lo opened his hand, blew across the palm, and his eyes seemed to light up for a moment. ‘This, I know.’ He laughed again, the vastness of the room slowly fading, and Eggsy felt lightheaded from trying not to gag.

‘Now clean the shit from your trousers and tell me what you want.’ Lo propped himself on his elbows, hands clasped together, and tilted his head to one side. Remarkably like a girl at a sleepover, or chatting on the phone, in a film.

‘A- a man.’

‘You summoned me for _love_?’

‘Yes.’ As if there were anything else worth risking a soul for. Lo lifted himself onto his hands, leaning close to the Circle but not crossing it, and glared harshly at Eggsy.

‘You would utilise my great power over such… _human_ trivialities?’

‘You- you have to do what I say. That’s what the Book said.’

‘Oh, look at you pretending to be brave. What’s your name?’

‘Eg-Gary. Gary.’ Names had power, in all the old faerie stories, and panic was no excuse to give a _demon_ the name he felt was his own. He doubted it would mean much- he was protected, inside the Circle, after all- but still. It would help keep him focused on getting Harry back.

‘Well that’s an awful name, far too breakfast-y. Doesn't suit your inevitable future at all! Allow me to fit you in something more _bespoke_... Dinner.’ Lo’s head tilted at an angle that made his gaping mouth almost seem to smirk, one hand gesturing in his general direction. Eggsy swallowed thickly.

‘It's Gary.’

‘Dinner, you have to let go of the past-’ Lo pointed with one thick finger, looking for all the world like one of those Uncle Sam posters he had seen on Tumblr.

‘I summoned you, yeah? You gotta do what I say- obey my charge or whatever the book said.’ _Shoulders back, neck straight, meet their eyes_ \- everything Harry had told him about talking with someone he was intimidated by. Someone he thought _better_ than himself for whatever fucking reason- or, he guessed, someone he was absolutely scared shitless of.

‘While that may _technically_ true, but that does not mean that I have to respect you- and if given the opportunity I would wholeheartedly make your new name a prophecy fulfilled.’

‘I-I am no’ afraid of you.’ Maybe it was a stupid idea to deny the obvious to a powerful demon, Eggsy thought to himself as Lo reared back. The room shook, and Eggsy had a split second thought to his neighbours banging on his door demanding an explanation for all the racket.

‘Yes. You are.’

‘Well it would be fucking stupid not to be, yeah? You’s a demon and I'm not even just a person but an estates kid without any connections or silver spoons to beg from. But I've got the Book, and I've got this Circle, and you just said you got to do what I say so stop goin’ on your fuckin’ power trip and _listen to me.’_ Eggsy took a deep breath, instantly regretting it when he could taste the demon rot in the air, and glared defiantly at Lo.

Who summarily ignored his statements and was blandly looking about the room.

‘Where the fuck am I?’

‘My flat. The estates.’

‘Oooooooh, dramatic!’ Lo waved one hand about flamboyantly, looking back to Eggsy with the skin above one eye socket raised. A parody of a raised brow, mouth pulled up to one side, he tilted his head. ‘Mind if I make a few… changes?’ He did not give Eggsy a chance to respond before flicking his wrist and looking up to the ceiling, a pale blue spotlight landing on him with an angelic choir backing his dramatic turn back to Eggsy. ‘Where’d a kid like you get a book like that, exactly?’

‘I ain’t a kid- and… it ain’t mine.’

‘No, really? And here I had you pegged for a proper Warlock.’

‘It belonged to ‘im.’ Eggsy was back on task, and pulled a photo from the back cover of the Book. Harry, smiling widely and failing to hide that smile behind a coffee mug, taken their first morning together. The first time Eggsy’d realised there was a hole in his life that had just been filled.

‘I could say he was handsome, but I would be lying- it's not a very good picture, is it?’

‘Do you know ‘im?’ _Ask questions plainly, demand plain answers in return._ Harry’s words echoed in his mind. But Lo shook his head, looking off to one side and refusing to make eye contact.

‘No.’

‘You’re lying!’

‘I warn you, Dinner- trying to get a read on a demon is a thorny game; we don’t play by your human rules.’

‘You took him.’ _Confidence is key; don’t flounder in the face of what you don’t understand._

‘ _I_ took him?’

‘Well, maybe not you specifically but you fucking demons did. Your People, or whatever the fuck you call yourselves.’

‘I knew you were racist-’

‘Look, Harry was taken by some… some _thing_ and I’ve got the scars to prove it.’ Eggsy angrily pulled off his shirt, balling it in his fist. There were deep red scars across his torso, reminiscent of the tears through canvas in Beauty and the Beast. They’ve seemingly healed, but still had the angry tinge of infection- and the stiff way Eggsy was sitting is suddenly attributed to more than nerves.

‘You sure it wasn’t a wolf? A bear? Perhaps a particularly angry thorned bush?’

‘I’m not a fucking idiot- I may be a speck on this planet, a bit of dust you’re gonna outlive and watch decay, but I’m not dumb enough to summon a fucking demon if I weren’t sure that’s what took him. It took him, and I was dying, but I woke up and Harry was still gone.’

‘It took him, it took him, my Harry's gone,’ Lo mocked, voice high pitched and hand waving about aimlessly, ‘look, I’ll give you some free advice: page 303. Close this ridiculous venture before I get hungry. Give up, and move on.’

Eggsy kept eye contact with the hideous creature, and instead of turning the pages as instructed he instead pulled the photo from the book and shut it. Eggsy tapped the cover with two fingers, almost glaring at Lo, and spoke softly, ‘I’m not leaving here without him.’

It was an eternity later that Lo shook his head, breaking their eye contact and sighing sadly.

‘Look, Dinner, I’m only going to say this once more- if what you’re saying’s true, and I’m _sure_ it is, then you’re fucked. Raw and hard. You don’t just _get out_ of Hell.’

‘Then I want to see him, and we’ll figure out the rest together.’

‘Well it’s not as if I know the man-’

‘His name’s Harry, he’s-’

‘Yes, yes, I know- he’s the moon and stars in the sky, the wind beneath your wings, and the rain that brings the flowers. Look, I am positive that you two had a _deep_ and _pure_ emotional connection,’ Lo sneered, ‘but Hell isn’t a park or some small town isolated from the rest of creation. It’s a large place, with more within than you could count in your lifetime, that’s been around since the dawn of your pathetic species. _And we don’t keep records.’_

‘Then I’ll wait.’

‘What?’ Lo looked at him incredulously.

‘I’ll stay right here while you go and look for ‘im. He’s worth it, and he’d’ve done the same for me.’

‘For how long? Until your need to piss and shit drives you to close the circle because of your _human sensibilities?_ Until your body gives out, and you faint from malnutrition and inevitably cross the paltry protection you’ve painted? And let us not forget my own schedule, it’s not as if demons sit idly.’ Lo turned his face away, and began making as if to leave.

‘I’m in charge here, ain’t I?’ Lo grunted, but continued to pull himself away from Eggsy. ‘Oi, I’m not talkin’ to the air here- I’m the master and you’ve got to do as I say!’

‘The thing you ask for is IMPOSSIBLE!’ Lo growled, glaring at Eggsy as he twisted impossibly backward to address him. He would have shuddered, if he hadn’t been so determined to not show weakness.

‘An’ yet I’m still askin’ for it. So you’ve got to at least _try._ ’ Lo froze, growled low in his throat and then roared at Eggsy. The circle only protected him from physical threats, and the smell of rancid meat washed over him like an unfortunate rainstorm. He closed his eyes, waited for the ringing in his ears to stop, and determinedly stared Lo down. ‘I’m waiting.’

‘Frightened children ought not play with pentagrams; weren’t you ever warned against Ouija boards?’

‘Mighta been, but once impossible shit started happening I threw those rules out the window.’

‘If you so much as scrape the edge of your circle with your toes I will swallow you whole and you will have the pleasure of enduring a 90 year digestion. The acids in my stomach are unforgiving, and an idiotic specimen like yourself will likely cause some indigestion, but I am willing to make that sacrifice.’ Lo rears back, snake-like, twisting his head from side to side as if deciding from which angle to strike. Eggsy lifted the picture once again, as if his first instructions to the demon were simply forgotten as opposed to rebelled against.

Lo rolled himself partially onto his back and cursed at the ceiling before turning back to Eggsy. He smiled, or as close as he could get without lips or teeth. ‘Harry!’ There was obviously an exasperated air to the exclamation, but Eggsy couldn’t hope for better than that from this arsehole of a demon.

‘Harry. Hart.’

‘Like that thing that keeps your soul in you and outside of Hell?’

‘Like a deer, actually.’

‘Well that’s a stupid name for a human- why name someone after physical traits and animals?’ Lo muttered seemingly to himself, though it was just loud enough for Eggsy to hear. ‘Tell me about him.’ He propped his head on his hands, blinking innocently, and Eggsy was struck by the image of teens gossiping.

‘Just find him, what do you need me talkin’ about him for?’

‘I’m simply trying to fulfil your request, _master_. The better versed I am in your arthurian knight, the better equipped I’ll be in parsing out which he is amongst the trillions of bits of dark matter that float about in eternal torment.’

‘Oh.’ Eggsy didn’t want to think about what Harry must be enduring, what horrors he must have been facing since he’d been taken, but the reminder did nothing if not motivate him into sharing.

‘Precisely. _Oh.’_

‘What d’you need to know, then?’

‘Details. Emotional ones, a full dossier, as much as you can pull from your miniscule brain. I want to feel as you do; I _need_ to feel the pain that’s driven you to me.’

‘Uh, well, he’s nearly 2 metres, mid fifties, light brown hair with silver at the edges-’

‘STOP.’ Eggsy’s mouth clicked shut, teeth grinding against one another as he did his best not to panic. ‘For fuck’s sake, Dinner, how dim can you get? I said _emotional_ details. I want to know how you met, how you ate, how you fought and kissed, fucked and spoke and insulted and _loved.’_ Lo spat the last word like a curse. ‘I’m not casting a film, I don’t need his resume- what I need is _everything_.’

‘So… you want _details_.’ Eggsy stuttered, simultaneously disgusted by having to share his desires with a demon and relieved that what he asked for was so simple to share. It wasn’t like he was comfortable with it, but there were worse things than reminiscing about the man he loved with a Demon. He assumed.

‘Yes,’ Lo pointed at Eggsy, ‘thank you for joining the rest of the class.’

‘You want to know how we first met?’

‘By George, I think he’s got it!’

‘Don’t you quote My Fair Lady at me- anyway, I was on break at the Prince-’ There’s a great whooshing sound, and Lo’s attention is drawn to a spot behind Eggsy. Turning around, there’s a projection on the wall matching Eggsy’s memory. The dim lighting, the quiet bustle of the pub, and there- Eggsy, sat alone in a booth, staring out the window with a dish of chips on the table. Eggsy, sat in the circle, looked toward Lo in question, one brow raised.

‘It’s flashback time!’ Lo lifted one arm from the ground, giving some jazz hands in a manner Eggsy could only describe as sarcastic. ‘Ta-da!’

‘That’s me? But I haven’t told you anythin’ yet!’

‘No, that’s me and my phenomenal cosmic powers pulling the thoughts from your brain and projecting them onto that wall.’ Eggsy looked at Lo in horror- he could pull the thoughts from his mind? He could _read his mind_ this whole time? ‘I know, right?’ Lo seemingly misinterpreted his silence for awe, pulling a bowl of popcorn from seemingly nowhere. ‘Now keep your mouth shut, and your eyes open- and let’s see what happens.’

\--

There was something inherently fascinating about seeing himself from the outside. Eggsy hadn’t realised how depressed he’d looked, staring idly out the window and running a finger along the rim of his pint, completely ignoring his chips. From the edge of the projection, Harry walked into view, stunning in his suit and carrying a briefcase the way one would carry an explosive- with great care.

‘Hello.’ Harry was staring intently at the chips on the table, but his eyes flickered toward Eggsy every few moments.

‘Uhm, hi?’ Eggsy looked briefly from the window, visibly doing a double take when he actually bothered to take in the man before him.

‘Are those any good, here?’

‘I guess?’ In truth Eggsy hadn’t even touched them, though he liked them plenty on the regular, and he wished he could remember what he’d been looking at before the man stood before him.

‘Would it be terribly impolite of me to try one?’ Eggsy could only stare dumbfounded at the man, whose suit easily displayed the differences in their lifestyles, ‘your silence says yes, sorry about that-

‘Wait!’ Eggsy blurted, mouth obviously ahead of his brain by the shock in his eyes, ‘You can try some, if you want.’

‘That sounds lovely.’ Harry tucked himself gracefully into the bench across from Eggsy, setting the brief beside him before reaching deftly toward the plate. The first chip seemed to bring Harry to life, as he closed his eyes and nearly moaned. ‘ _Shit_ this is divine!’ Harry’s mouth was still full, but Eggsy couldn’t find it in himself to be disgusted. Harry reached again, this time taking several, and shoved them into his mouth like a toddler.

‘Would you like some fresh?’ There was something entrancing about seeing a man so wholly enjoy something so simple. Eggsy couldn’t look away, and even cracked a grin at the way the man’s head nodded enthusiastically. He called over to the bar, gesturing for another round, and turned back to watch Harry eat. The man was so focused on the flavours in his mouth, eyes closed, and Eggsy couldn’t help but drink him in.

‘I thought you was eating alone, Eggy?’ Rottie dropped the plate the last couple inches to the table, causing a couple chips to fall off.

‘I am- or, well, I was- that a problem?’ Rottie rolled his eyes, looked at Harry like he was a particularly fascinating bit of shit on the ground, and walked off. Eggsy looked back to Harry, eyes wide when he realised how much of the cold chips he’d devoured in the course of that small conversation. Harry noticed his look, and seemed to come back to himself.

‘Oh, shit, I do apologise. I didn’t mean to-’

‘Don’t sweat it, honest. I wasn’t all that hungry anyway. I did order some more, though, so feel free to stick around.’ Eggsy lightly pushed the warm dish in his direction.

‘I don’t remember to eat very often, much more important things to be done- though I’m trying to break that habit.’ Harry shovelled the last of the cold chips into his mouth, but not before looking toward the door.

‘Mate, are you avoiding summat?’

‘Well, I’m on the run, if that’s what you’re asking- but nothing to worry about.’ Eggsy gaped at the man, mouth open to offer a listening ear if nothing else, when the man began to chuckle. ‘No, dear boy, I’m not in any kind of _trouble_ \- I simply admired the way you were holding yourself. Stunning- though I will admit, I was spurred to action by the chips sitting ignored in front of you.’

Eggsy laughed nervously, looked about the pub as if searching for some hidden camera, before asking, ‘well, how was I holding myself, then?’

The man across from him was still for a moment, and then slouched slightly; he turned his head slightly toward the window, allowed his lips to turn slightly upward, and seemed to soften his eyes somehow. The light hit him at such an angle that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were simultaneously highlighted and breathtaking, the shadow of his glasses somehow highlighting his cheekbones.

Eggsy forgot to breathe.

The man straightened himself back up, the world restarted, and Eggsy giggled.

‘You’re laughing at yourself?’

‘Well I doubt I looked half as elegant as you, but yeah. This whole moment’s a bit funny to me-’

‘How so?’

‘You’ve got to be at least twenty years older than me, never seen you ‘round here before so you’re new, you took notice of a pleb like me and just started talkin’, and then you act as if you’ve never has chips before-’

‘I haven’t, until today- I must say I enjoy them far better hot than cool.’ Harry looked so earnest, it was hard not to laugh- so he huffed a breath instead.

‘See, that! That right there is _ridiculous_ how can anyone not’ve had chips before?’ Instead of seeming hurt, the man seemed pleased, and leant forward a fraction.

‘I had a rather… secluded upbringing. My family was very particular in what was what, and until this morning I had never thought to try the things they’d forbidden me. So this,’ Harry grabbed a chip, and smiled, ‘is my rebellion.’

‘You’re a bit old for rebellion- ain’t that a teenager thing?’

‘And yet you don’t strike me as very conforming yourself- and that’s… oddly wonderful.’

‘I can about guarantee there ain’t anythin’ wonderful about me- but I don’t like rules much.’ Eggsy smiled, ran one hand up the back of his head before suddenly remembering himself and offering his hand. ‘I’m Eggsy, by the way.’

‘Eggy?’

‘Nah, mate, with an s. Eggsy.’

‘Eggsy… _Eggsy_ …’ Harry seemed to be rolling the name about his mouth like posh folk tasted wine- and he seemed posh enough so maybe he was. ‘Peculiar. I like it.’

‘Thanks- and you are...?’

‘I am what?’ The man blinks, doe eyed, and Eggsy can’t help the laugh bubbling out of him again.

‘Your _name,_ can’t keep calling you chips-man in my head.’ Eggsy joked, and Harry’s eyes widened for a moment before he began muttering to himself; though Eggsy of the present, sat in the circle, could hear him plain as day.

‘Eyesearsmouthnosehair- Harry.’ Only the last was said loud enough for Eggsy-at-the-table to hear, and they shook hands.

‘STOP!’ Lo roared, and the memory froze. Lo had one hand raised and was waving it about not unlike Hermione Granger. ‘Oh! Ohh pick me, pick me! Dinner, pick me, I have a question!’ Eggsy looked over to the demon, and raised an eyebrow. ‘Did your sugar daddy just make up his name?’

Eggsy looked down, unable to really dispute Lo with the given facts, but remembered suddenly- _demon._ ‘He weren't no sugar daddy, and you’re trying to trick me. Get me to go along with whatever it is you think about him so I’ll just let you go!’ Lo scoffed.

‘Tricking you? If that were my intention it would be far plainer- for example,’ Lo flicked his wrist, and the figures from the memory began to move again. Harry leant over the table fully, grabbed at the front of Eggsy’s shirt and pulled him across the table and slammed their mouths together. Eggsy flailed for a moment before draping his arm over Harry’s shoulders and giving all his weight to the older man.

‘Stop. Just- stop.’

‘What? Things not going according to plan?’

‘Play the scene right, or don’t do it at all. I thought you needed to know him like I did?’

‘That’s your responsibility, not mine. And you need to be open to seeing things a bit… _differently._ Experiencing your life in the moment is far different from remembering it.’ Lo gestured toward the memory, reset to the two men shaking hands above the tabletop.

‘Great to meet you, Harry- I’m gonna go settle my tab and head out. Got to get back to work.’

‘Why? That sounds tedious.’ Harry cocked his head to one side, as if genuinely confused by the notion of working, and Eggsy snapped.

‘Not everyone gets shit on a silver platter, Harry. We have to fucking work for it, and keep going when it look like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel because people are bloody _counting on us_. If people in their _ivory towers_ ,’ Eggsy mocked, ‘knew even a fraction of what us regular people do to get by, if they really got it, this place,’ he swung his arm, gesturing aimlessly, ‘would be so much better.’

‘The protection of one’s own is, of course, invaluable- I apologise for causing offense.’ Harry pulled the briefcase closer to himself, scooting to the end of the table as if to leave, and Eggsy deflated.

‘No, no I’m sorry. I didn’ mean to go off on you like that. I forgot myself for a moment there;’ Eggsy hunched in on himself, both hands in pockets, ‘what’s in the case? Sorry, not my place-’

‘A collection of sheets with writing on them- terribly boring, I assure you.’

‘What, classified or somethin’?’

‘Or something.’ Harry smiled with closed lips, and something imperceptible changed. He could _feel_ it. In the kitchen, a glass shattered, and Harry practically leapt to his feet. Eggsy flinched, took a step back, and Harry seemed to come to himself- though he still kept a tight grip on the briefcase. ‘I- I’m sorry…’ Harry fell back into the booth, head hung low, case tucked betwixt his legs, and sighed deeply. Eggsy looked torn, glancing between the door and the man he’d so strangely befriended several times before shaking his head, stepping forward.

‘You okay?’

\--

‘Weird man.’ Lo spoke up from behind him, and Eggsy turned.

‘Well, yeah, he’s different- but tha’s part of why I fell arse over tit for him so quick. There ain’t nothing else like him.’

‘Fell? Humanity’s always so dramatic- you talk of love as if it’s a ten story drop. No wonder it always ends in tears- or,’ Lo paused, ‘in lost souls.’ He lifted a hand, and something in the air jerked Eggsy’s head to one side, which brought him face-to-cover with an old book. A familiar, old, book. _The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus._ Being held up by two long, green, fingers.

The book lowered, and Eggsy jumped back- only by chance does he not leave the circle- the green hands belong to a bald, scaled man, with horns like a dinosaur and a short beak, whose eyes seem to be backward. The bits that should hold them inside of his head were dangling down his face, scraping the edge of his jaw, and Eggsy can’t bring himself to breathe for fear or retching.

‘What’re you gasping about? Oh, the face; you humans are always so disgusted by shit you don’t understand. Have you ever actually _read_ this book, lad?’ The demon (for what else could he be?) tapped the front cover with a clawed finger, ‘It’s actually a comedy, if you read it right.’ He extended the hand that had been on the book, stopping just before the circle. ‘Pleasure.’

Eggsy glanced at the hand before forcing himself to make back-of-eye contact with the demon, and shook his head.

‘So there’s a brain hidden behind the stupid face, well done.’ The hand pulled back, and the demon reached for the strands of innards that hung from his face before tugging on them sharply. There was a pop and Eggsy gagged, somehow unable to look away from the horrifying image of eyeballs being swung back and forth with nary a care before being shoved back into the scaled man’s head. He paused, looked pointedly at Eggsy, and sighed. ‘I put all this effort into my face and you can’t even pay me a compliment? And I had such hopes for our grand reunion.’

‘ _You_ -’

‘Correct; I’m the one who came ‘round and scooped your man from your arms and dragged him all. The. Way. Down.’

‘You’re the one that tried to kill me!’ Eggsy lifted his shirt, once again revealing the angry red across his torso, and the new demon examined it like a fine painting.

‘It’s Merlin to you- and It’s a pity you survived; that’s good work put to waste.’ Merlin gestured at Eggsy vaguely, ‘Your blood was like a fine brandy- something I needed to _savour._ ’ He lifted a hand, scraping fingers across his lip as if remembering the feel of flesh upon flesh.

‘You took Harry.’

‘I don’t enjoy repeating myself, lad, but yes. I did. And I was rewarded for it… handsomely.’ Merlin tapped a spot on his chest, and Eggsy was surprised to find a military uniform- a decorated one, with a series of medals he couldn’t figure out the meanings of if he tried. A green hand fingered a medal fondly, pink and gold with a V in the centre, as if to show Eggsy that _this one_ was what he was given for dragging Harry into Hell.

‘Bring him back!’

‘I don’t think I will.’

‘Please!’

‘Not the kind of begging I’m after. You summoned Lo, not I, and I’m not at all inclined to do as you ask.’

‘Then I’ll-’ Eggsy pulled the Book from behind him, ‘I’ll summon you!’

‘And it seems the brain has leaked from between your ears- you can’t summon more than one demon at once! It would be like trying to save two people with one parachute- messy, improbable, but impressive if successful.’

‘Well, the fuck’re you here then if I ain’t your master?’

‘As if I would relinquish the chance to meet a _celebrity-_ you’re the mortal that tamed the beast!’

‘What’re you on about?’

‘Don’t deny the facts, boy, you know what I mean.’ Merlin knelt closer, one clawed hand scraping the floor _just_ beside the circle, ‘you know.

‘I’ve passed by and through and touched more humans than you could imagine- I’ve even held emotions for them. Disgust, pity, maybe a healthy bit of hunger;’ Merlin turned away, seemingly speaking into the abyss, ‘but the one thing I’ve never come close to feeling for a human is love. Oh, there were certainly a handful of physically attractive ones but they never survived long enough to _enjoy_ ;’ He spat the last word, pointing at Eggsy accusingly, ‘that’s why it’s so strange.’

‘What’s strange?’

‘That _it_ fell in love with _you._ ’

‘It?’

‘The thing you call Harry.’

‘Harry ain’t an it!’

‘Don’t interject without the facts, lad, it makes you look dumber than you already do. Foolhardy and ignorant- _childish_.’ Merlin smirked, or as close to an approximation of a smirk that a partially-beaked green scaled demon could accomplish. ‘I’m going to tell you a story, and maybe by the end of it you’ll have some brains.

‘Once upon a time, long before you lot made the stunning discovery that the world wasn’t flat, there was a war. It wasn’t the kind of war you’d keep histories of, there were few if any survivors and it was before recording events even became commonplace, but it was brutal. It was _beautiful,_ and a demon wandering the remains stumbled upon one survivor- and stuffed his heart into a rock.

‘Demons are born from hatred, from suffering, from a desire to see _retribution_ ; that lone human was angry enough to spit fire- so the rock did. The man died, buried in the rubble, and his rage lived on- _Harry_ lived on.’ Merlin paused, and somehow Eggsy was grateful for that- everything he knew told him to ignore everything the demon said, and yet… he spoke with such authority. Maybe it was only half true- maybe the story was true, but he was trying to make Eggsy believe it was Harry to make him let Lo go.

That had to be it.

‘What left the battlefield that day became the gold standard for demons- Harry rewrote the rule book and set every record. He was a legend, still is in some circles, known for having no mercy and the highest soul count. He was born from a dying soldier’s lust for revenge, and had no use for the rest of the organ he’d been born from.

‘Until you.’

‘If Harry had no heart, no love, no mercy, then the fuck was he doing wandering about with this Book in a suitcase?’ Eggsy lifted the Book in one hand and glared accusingly at Merlin, who rolled his eyes (would they pop back out?) and knelt back to the ground.

‘At some point or another, something changed. He started _caring_ ,’ Merlin spat, and Eggsy wiped at his face, ‘he started trying to curtail visits topside. Tried to use what weight his name carried to _change_ things, things that didn’t need changing, and he grew frustrated when no one wanted to follow him.’ Merlin shrugged with one shoulder, and looked away. ‘So he left, grabbed the Book and the case and ran as quietly as he could.

‘Had he not been the best, we’d have caught him before he made it topside; but he made it out, and we were left scrambling after him.’

‘The fuck’d you care that he didn’t want to do that shit anymore? Ain’t that his business?’ Eggsy forwent arguing that the demon was trying to trick him, that was a demon’s prime directive. What purpose was there in arguing that?

‘He has a purpose, a job to do, and he’s _necessary_ even if his... heart... isn’t in it anymore.’ Merlin looked at Eggsy from the corner of one eye, and winked.

In a blink Merlin was gone and Lo in his place, his enthusiastic clapping coming back threefold from the abyss.

‘Oh, bravo, Merlin- encore! What a... lovely... story-’ Lo cut himself off with a laugh, deep and gravelly and inhuman.

‘Stop playing with me!’ Eggsy bit out, the hand that he’d drawn blood from earlier clutched to himself. It throbbed, reminding Eggsy that maybe there were better places to draw blood from than _the palm of your hand_ because it was going to hurt for ages.

‘I don’t _play_ with my food, Dinner.’

‘I ain’t listenin’ anymore- you’re trying to confuse me; trying to get me to give up and let you go and _I’m not leaving without Harry.’_

‘I bring you the demon who literally took your love from your arms, and you bring into question my motives?’ Lo lifted one hand to his chest, lidless eyes somehow sad, and for a fragment of a moment Eggsy considered apologising, but-

‘I thought you said you didn’t know him?’

‘Surprise! I lied; demon, remember?’

‘You disgust me. You’re fucking disgusting.’

‘I didn’t think you cared so little for Harry.’ Lo quipped, looking idly at his hand- Eggsy would say he was admiring his nail polish but the thick, pale, slimy appendages simply curved into an end. No nails in sight.

‘What?’

‘Well to call _me_ disgusting is to call _him_ disgusting- we do, after all, share a species. In case you missed it from that story, demons- _all_ ,’ Lo paused, looking pointedly at Eggsy, ‘demons will torture, slaughter, and rape. It’s part and parcel to our existence.’

Eggsy was confused, and angry, and more than a bit frightened- but who wouldn’t be in this kind of a situation? It wasn’t as if there were other people to ask about their experiences _summoning demons_ or books he could check facts against. But he knew Harry. He _loved_ Harry, and if there was one thing he knew, it was that he was worth it all.

‘I guess I’ll just reach into the arse of Hell and bring him to you, then.’ Lo laughed, and Eggsy was struck by how it reminded him of the old Mario game, when you fucked up and Bowser laughed at you. Deep and tri-toned and echoing.

‘If Harry’s everythin’ you’re saying he is, then where do I fit in?’ It’s quiet, something Eggsy is reluctant to say out loud and _especially_ reluctant to say to a demon, but there weren’t many choices in circumstances like this.

‘ _You_ … What about _you_? It’s kind of funny, actually- that heart Harry was born from, it was fickle. Jumped from rage to lust to disappointment in a flash- and, I guess-’

‘He loved me.’

‘Perhaps- but that doesn’t change the nature of things. The facts are Harry gets restless, gets frustrated with the stagnation of everyone else, calls at all hours _I don’t understand- why do I get like this when no one else does!’_ Lo mimed holding a telephone, Harry’s voice fell from his lips, and Eggsy’s heart stuttered. ‘And what am I supposed to tell him- it’s not as if I’ve ever felt that way, and one moment he’s a killer- the _best-_ and the next he’s a mess!’ Lo sounds like a frustrated spouse, Eggsy nearly chuckled at the absurdity of it all, and then the demon looked away in a huff, the candles highlighting the downward curve of his lipless mouth.

‘You were his friend.’ It’s a statement, not something he had to ask, because no one can talk that emotionally about another being and not be attached in some way, but the way Lo avoided eye contact after said more than words could.

Lo roared, like rocks tumbling off a mountain.

‘No.’

Eggsy was tired of talking in circles. He was the one in charge here, and maybe he just had to trick him into doing shit on his own. Like Aladdin with Genie.

‘You can’t even get him, can you?’ He goaded, leant back on his hands where he sat in the circle. ‘You ain’t strong enough to get the job done.’

‘I don’t have the _strength_?’ Lo glared, and raised himself on his arms until he somehow towered over him.

‘You can’t even walk, you fucking cripple-’ Eggsy gagged, his throat closed up with nothing but a twitch of Lo’s hand. Shit. He’d forgotten; demon magic wasn’t stopped by the circle, only their bodies. Only their ability to kill outright- the rest was fair game.

He’d gone too far.

‘Can you feel that?’ It’s said nonchalantly, like asking about the weather, and Eggsy’s eyes bugged open, one hand scrabbling at his neck as if to dislodge his attacker. ‘The essence of my hand _ripping_ through your barrier and crushing your larynx? Maybe I can’t kill you from here, but I can certainly make my displeasure in your living known.

‘The sooner I get your lover-demon, the sooner your stench will leave my mouth.’ Lo spat, and shoved himself away from Eggsy; and the moment the hand stopped metaphysically crushing his windpipe he gagged. He spluttered and choked and spat up a bit, wiped the back of a hand across his mouth, and looked up into emptiness.

‘Lo? Lo? Lo?! Fuck,’ Eggsy ran a hand through his hair, uncaring of the spittle, and looked about as if he could suddenly see through the pitch-darkness of the In-Between. ‘God _damn_ it. Shit. Fuck. Fuck!’ He was delirious, cursing to himself and pulling at his own hair, on the verge of tears.

Would this work? Would it be worth it? What kind of a question was that, for Harry it was worth everything, but would _Harry_ think so? If he really _was_ a demon, would that change anything for Eggsy? Could they make something new from the pieces left after all this? Would Harry still want him after he didn’t need to hide anymore?

_Fucking hell…_ Eggsy’s mouth hadn’t moved, but the words echoed about the space. _Shit- who said that? Who is it? I just thought that._ Eggsy’s eyes widened.

_It’s saying what I’m thinking- is it reading my mind? Is it_ in _my mind? My thoughts are outside my head what the_ fuck _is going on saysomethingoutloud-_

‘Fuuuuuuu-’ The sound gave out, choking to a halt, and Eggsy began to panic. _Did I just make sounds instead of talking? The fuck was that sound- say a sentence. Come on, Eggsy, say a fucking sentence. ‘_ You can go fuck yourself.’ _There, that’s a sentence._

_Shit, that’s still in my head._

_Fuck._

_Okay, let’s figure this out, yeah? Why am I hearing my voice outside of my head? Where is it coming from?_ Eggsy writhed in place, neck cramped, and pulled at his hair with both hands. _Ow!_ Eggsy pulled his hand from his head, looked down, and gaped at the cut from earlier.

_Did that get bigger?_ The skin opened and closed in time with his thoughts, and Eggsy sucked in a breath through his teeth. His hand was talking to him- his hand was exposing his thoughts to the demons and whatever else was around- his hand was reading his mind and then saying it out loud. _Ignore the hand, clear your mind. Like fucking Snape just clear your mind and stop bloody thinking!_

_…_

_This is weird._ No luck with ignoring it, so may as well just run with it. _Don’t focus on the hand. Let’s figure this shit out._

_Harry’s a demon… he’s always been a demon. Does that mean he didn’t love me? Doesn’t love me? Did he- did he make me love him?_ Eggsy glared at his hand, pointing angrily with the other.

‘That’s fucking ridiculous- I know he loved me. He didn’ say it much but actions are louder than words, yeah? He fucking loved me. And I love him, even with him gone I love him.’

_And yet we’re here, in the middle of hell knows where, trying to strike a deal with a fucking_ demon _after getting told bedtime stories of him killing people for shits and giggles. Innocent people, even._

‘That’s the point, tho- stories. They’re stories told by fucking demons to get me to give up. Like them warning stones in Labyrinth; Lo admitted he was lying!’

_And the Book?_

‘Shit. That’s right. The Book.’

_A human wouldn’t have a book like that- and where’d it come from? Where could he have gotten it from- certainly not Waterstones._

‘Hell.’ Eggsy signed, resigned.

_Yeah, Hell. Harry’s from Hell. But does that really change anythin’? He’s obviously the same man, we just got to see his shit in a different light._

‘He loved me.’ Whispered, slightly doubtful, as Eggsy stared at one of the candles. Maybe if he just focused on something, anything, else it would stop.

_Did he?_ Could _he? What if you were just the only one dumb enough not to ask questions. Who’d look for a man like that with a pleb like you? He was usin’ you just like Dean used to._

_‘_ That _dick_!’ It explodes from Eggsy’s lips, unbidden, and he looked around the vacuum his Circle was surrounded by, as if someone would pop out of the woodwork to correct him for being too loud.

_I KNOW!_

_‘_ I- I’m talking to myself… through my-’

‘Did you miss me?’

‘Shut UP. Just- just shut up, brain!’

‘As amusing as watching you yell at yourself is, not quite.’ Lo was back, cigarette in hand, the smoke curling far past where his ceiling _should_ be. More unpleasant reminders that Eggsy wasn’t really on Earth anymore.

Eggsy heaved in a breath, and glanced back and forth from his hand- which had gone silent and the cut had shrunk back to regular size- to Lo.

‘Where’d you run off to, then?’

‘Needed to ease a little tension.’ Lo waved it about, and Eggsy’s eyes continued to trail the smoke.

‘Demons smoke?’

‘When will you get it through your thick skull that demons do whatever we damn well please? Besides,’ Lo took a drag, ‘it’s cool.’

Eggsy was distracted, flexing his fingers and curling his fist as if to try and tease his hand back into talking to him. He couldn’t figure out _why_ he was doing it, outside of an intense desire to not be looking at Lo. Not to be thinking about everything he’d been told.

‘The circle’s closing in on you- magic has to draw from _somewhere_ and the longer you sit there the more your brain’s leaking out. Stay there long enough and there won’t be enough left of you to go back; but, as a faint silver lining, I got something for you.’

‘Harry?’ Eggsy perked up, his whole body leant forward, and Lo chuckled.

‘No. He’s in some high-security lockup and it’ll take more time- but I _did_ bring you some souls to speak in his place!’ A pair of came up against the wall, and kept coming toward them- until they hit a barrier, filmy and red and Eggsy did _not_ want to think about what it was made of. ‘I thought you’d want to know what Harry was going through- so you can help him later, of course.’ Screams echoed, like nails on a chalkboard, and Eggsy held himself as stiff as he could. Barely wanting to look at the humanoid points of darkness against the illuminated flesh- red of the barrier.

Demons lie. No matter what they said it wasn’t necessarily _true_. Though, Eggsy knew, all the best lies were built around grains of truth. So what was the truth, here?

But, as Eggsy listened to the litany of screams and begging, he grew more and more worried for Harry. Cheese graters? Drawn and quartered? Papercuts and lemon juice? Head, still alive, being thrown into a blender? Venom and sleep deprivation and waterboarding- some of these things sounded so mundane, so run-of-the-mill. Eggsy reasoned to himself that it was probably like Prometheus and the bird- beyond painful every time, and just familiar enough to keep you wondering how they’d make it worse _this time_. Repetitive and horrifying.

‘Why are you showing this to me?’ The shadows froze as he spoke, and red dripped where their supposed-bodies pressed against the barrier. As one they cocked their heads to one side, turning toward Lo as if they wondered much the same as he had.

‘You want me to find Harry? You want me to _give you_ Harry? Well I want you to know what you’re getting into. What Harry _is_. He was the best there was- until you.’

‘Get rid of them. Send them back.’ It’s a feeble order, and Lo knew it.

‘Do it yourself, _master_.’ Eggsy turned to the shadows, who were pressed eagerly against the barrier as if through will alone they could escape their confines.

‘Go back to hell; leave me the fuck alone!’ Eggsy bit out, on the edge of breakdown but with a job left to do.

‘You know it’s funny- just think about every time you wished someone to go to hell, and here you are actively witnessing what you’ve wished upon them.’ Lo twirled the end of his cigarette, and the smoke became a set of claws before fading from view. ‘And then you just turned them away- they needed your _help_ , Eggsy.’

‘Just shut it and get Harry already.’

‘I can’t. And not because I’m a _cripple_. You want to know why my legs drag behind me like a snake?’ Lo sounded like the Joker in those Dark Knight movies, pleasant and conversational but obviously intending to give a story whether you asked for it or not. ‘I assure you, there are legs back there- and this won’t be a long drawn out sob story like the one Merlin gave you.’

‘...I don’t care.’ Eggsy felt empty; at once terrified for Harry, scared of what Harry may well be, and a bone-deep _tired_ he couldn’t quite push through.

‘Harry,’ Lo nodded once, looked Eggsy in the eyes, and looked away, ‘my legs were crushed when he was returned. Fitting retribution.’

‘...You helped him get out?’ What kind of a relationship did the two of them have, anyway? Calls in the night, an assist in escape, and yet Lo wouldn’t bring Harry to him now?

‘A demon, Eggsy, heart or heartless, shouldn’t entertain the idea that love will be the answer to _any_ of its questions. Harry’s home now, where he belongs, but he’s no longer free. He’s trapped by guilt and the sharpest pains in the deepest of the pits- if you could call anyone trapped, it’s him.’ Lo took a breath and looked away. ‘Would you even want to see him again, with everything you’ve seen? Everything you’ve been told? Would you really want to bring him back with you, after all of this?’

‘I can’t tell the difference between trick or truth with you, bruv.’

‘You weren’t meant to. But the question remains- do you want to see Harry again? If so, all you have to do is… _remember._ ’ Lo gestured back toward the wall, and a new memory began.

\--

It was Christmas, him and Harry sat on the floor like children, and Eggsy had his hands hidden behind his back. He presented the gift to Harry, who took it looking vaguely confused. Within was a small stack of tattered books, Cendrillon and Pygmalion and _The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus._ Harry set the stack between them, hands in his lap as he looked earnestly at Eggsy.

‘They’re for you.’

‘Books?’

‘Have you read this one?’ Eggsy gestured to Faustus, a small smile on his face.

‘No.’

‘Well it’s good- I figured rare books would be up your alley, what with you keeping that one in your case, and all. They’re not _really_ old, but they’re older than me and I figure that’s something.’

‘You thought I’d enjoy enjoy these, so you got them for me?’ Harry sounded as if it was an entirely foreign concept. He was so confused all the time, it was a wonder that he’d made it this far in life without Eggsy around.

‘Well, it’s Christmas- it’s what you do.’ Eggsy shrugged, hiding his anxiety in a gentle smile. ‘Do you like ‘em?’

‘I think I do- I’ve not read many books outside of my own before. Schooling aside, of course.’ Harry added quickly, eyes doe-like and blinking slowly, so Eggsy let it go. Harry would tell him when he was ready. ‘What’s it about?’ Relationships were all about compromise- his curiosity could wait.

‘Well this bloke sells his soul for knowledge and power-’ Harry snorted, interrupting him.

‘How foolish. There’s no knowledge worth that much pain at the end of the road.’

‘What, you been there or so-’

‘Never!’ Harry interrupted Eggsy, whose smile ran from his face. Harry was so sensitive to the strangest things. He added “joking about hell” to his ongoing list of Harry’s Touchy Subjects.

‘You’re the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.’ Eggsy chuckled,smiling softly, and sat expectantly. ‘Well?’

‘Well… what?’

‘D’you have somethin’ for me?’ Eggsy didn’t much like being rude, or pushy, but he’d learned that beating around the bush didn’t work with Harry- it was speak plainly, or not at all. It was something that’d rubbed him the wrong way at first, but when Harry reminded him that he’d had a very secluded upbringing Eggsy would feel like a tit all over again. So being a little uncomfortable was worth it- one day at a time.

‘Oh,’ Harry’s eyes widened, and he smiled sheepishly. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know that was custom.’

‘That’s alright, Harry- I’m just happy to be spending the holiday with you.’ Eggsy was honest; sure he was a little disappointed, but there was never any accounting for what Harry did and did not know. It made Eggsy feel purposed when Harry asked him things, or tried something new just on his recommendation- this was just one of the downsides to being that person. Life’s tiny disappointments.

‘I’m so sorry, Eggsy… do you hate me?’ Insecurities be damned, Eggsy couldn’t help but giggle at the look on Harry’s face. The man had to be in his late forties but he looked like a child whose lolly had fallen into the dirt; someone who had had something wonderful and managed to tarnish it without meaning to.

‘Course not. Actually,’ Eggsy rubbed at the back of his head, ‘I think I might be- just a little- bit more in love with you than I was before. It’s weird, but you bein’ honest just…’ Eggsy shrugged.

‘I’ve told you, I’m a man out of time with strange hobbies,’ Harry gestured to the wall behind them, where a few shadow boxes of butterflies were hanging. ‘But I will never lie to you, if I can help it.’ They kissed, more of a press of lips than anything heated, when suddenly Harry sprung to his feet and dashed from the room, his words echoing back behind him. ‘I _do_ have something for you!’ He was laughing- what a sudden change from the melancholy man who’d kissed him.

‘You can’t wrap somethin’ that’s mine, that’s not how it works!’ Eggsy called after him, allowing himself to fall back against the leg of the sofa.

Harry returned with the briefcase tucked against his chest, the one from the day they’d met, which had been hidden in the back of a closet since he’d moved in. He unlocked it swiftly and pulled out the Book, the one reptilian eye gazing from the cover, looking at if briefly with a calculated gaze before handing it to Eggsy.

‘You’re giving me your “or something” book?’

‘It’s only fitting, after you’ve gifted me with books.’ Harry looked so at ease, and Eggsy couldn’t help but feel honoured. Harry trusted him with this, with what had to be his most treasured (if not only) possession.

‘Touche.’ Eggsy lifted the book, fingering the cover, before Harry’s hand covered his own. Harry used his other hand the lift Eggsy’s chin, and locked eyes with him.

‘You must not do that.’

‘Read it?’ What use was a book if you didn’t read it? The cover was creepy and definitely not something Eggsy wanted sitting on a shelf where anyone could see it.

‘ _Promise me._ Eggsy, promise you will _never_ read that book. Keep it safe, and one day when I’m not around you _burn it_.’ Harry’s hands framed Eggsy’s face, large and warm and _safe_. Eggsy gulped.

‘What is it?’ It’s asked softly, but Eggsy knew that Harry wouldn’t lie to him. He’d given his word.

‘My past- and don’t ever ask that of me again. Just. Please, for me, burn it. Don’t read it, let me be judged for who I am rather than who I have been.’ Harry’s eyes were earnest, and Eggsy couldn’t help but give in. As curious as he was, he loved the man that Harry was _now_. Yeah, it took a lot to get here, everyone’s made up of their past after all, but Harry would tell him when he was ready.

What did he need a book for, anyway?

‘Promise.’

\--

‘~Demon~’ Lo sang beneath his breath, head held up in the hand not holding a cigarette.

_Why wasn’t he honest with you?_ And now the hand was back. Great. _He obviously didn’t trust you- not enough._

‘He was ashamed-’

_Or he had a plan, and knew what he buttons he had to push to see it through. He could convince you of_ anything.

‘No-’

_You know you couldn’t say no to him- should have been a willow for all you bent to his whims. You’ve been distant with everyone- would your friends even notice if something was wrong? Who would check on you? Harry was everything to you- and he knew it._

_‘_ No- we worked _because_ we were different. We fit. Different puzzles made in the same shape.’

_Because he designed it that way. You were nothing but a disguise. A ruse._

‘Just STOP!’ Eggsy closed the sliced-open hand, dug his nails into the wound, and felt tears forming despite himself.

‘~The circle’s closing in on you~’ Lo mocked, humming under his breath when Eggsy shot him a glare.

‘I’ll manage on my own, thanks.’

‘If you had any idea of what your brain was actually doing up there- pah.’ Lo laughed, no less horrifying than before, and Eggsy stared as Lo swirled his finger around his temple in the universal sign for insanity. ‘Idiot.’

\--

A blink, and suddenly there was a man in front of him; older, balding, and laughing sinisterly, a small tray in his hands.

‘True on so many levels, Lo. We have, almost always, seen eye-to-eye on these matters.’ The man came to a stop in front of Eggsy, Lo nowhere to be found, with a crystal decanter filled with amber liquid and a glass.

‘I know you-’

‘I doubt that significantly. Would you like a drink?’ He held up the glass, gestured with the other hand to the decanter.

‘What? No.’ Who in their right fucking mind would drink something a demon handed them? Where’d it even _come_ from, anyway?

‘Are you positive? I can assure you that this is the finest napoleonic brandy.’

‘I bet it is, mate, but I just want Harry. I’m not thirsty.’

‘It will be the best thing your uncultured mouth will have ever tasted.’

‘I just told you I don’t want a drink- I just want Harry, thanks.’

‘Well call it Harry, then,’ the man poured two fingers worth into the glass, ‘and enjoy.’

‘I just said I don’t want a fucking drink!’

‘It’s not poison.’ Lo reappeared, speaking from behind Eggsy, as the balding man used a crystal rod to push the filled glass across the circle. ‘It weakens the link between your body and soul- I can’t bring Harry to you, you see- you have to go to him.’ Lo’s head twists, snakelike, ‘it’s the only way.’

‘You want me to go into hell, _outside of this circle,_ and find Harry on my own?’

‘Yes, I do! You’ll be relatively,’ Lo waved a hand in a so-so gesture, ‘unharmed by the fires and woes of Hell by consuming that drink. It’s the only way a living man can pass through, a closely guarded secret; so,’ Lo paused, head cocked to one side, ‘is your sugar daddy worth the risk?’

Eggsy turned away from Lo, back to the glass, and took a deep breath. Was Harry worth the risk? ‘You think I’ve got anythin’ to lose?’ Eggsy muttered just loud enough for Lo to hear, unintentionally, before picking up the glass and swallowing it in one gulp.

‘Fucker lied, that tasted like shit.’ There was a great whooshing sound, and suddenly Lo began to cackle. Like the hyenas in Lion King, Lo rolled upon the floor, and laughter echoed from the rest of the room. The man who had poured the drink, Merlin, the shadows... ‘Why’re you all laughing.’

‘I lied. It _was_ poison.’

‘I can’t believe you fell for the whole “drink this, and you can walk through hell” bit- thought you had a bit more brains than that.’ Merlin had his arms crossed, and his horned head shook disapprovingly, but his chest shook with laughter. The medals glistened in the candlelight.

‘Just. Bring Lo back.’

‘I’m not his keeper, I’m not his _master_.’ Merlin scoffed, but somehow looked disappointed.

‘Am I really dying, then?’

‘Oh, yes- but slowly. You have time to think, bargain, get desperate… we demons like to watch you twitch.’

‘Can I do anything about the dying thing?’ As if a demon would-

‘Break the circle. Leave. Get your arse to a hospital and get it pumped out before it’s been too long.’ Merlin implored, surprisingly earnest for a demon who had just earlier said he’d been disappointed that Eggsy had survived their last encounter.

‘I thought you heard me when I said I ain’t leaving without him. I don’ see any ears, but you answer everythin’ else just fine.’

‘Don’t be cheeky, and stop calling it “he” that’s a prison of human design- demons aren’t defined by something as paltry as what’s between our legs. If we have them.’ There was a pause, Merlin looked away briefly and then turned back to Eggsy. ‘This whole “love” thing,’ he made quotations with his fingers, ‘can you explain it to me?’

‘I’m not that great with words, I dunno what to tell you.’ Eggsy was resigned to his fate at this point, death was inevitable because he was an idiot who took what was offered- wasn’t that like rule one of magic? Or was that just faeries?

But, maybe if he died in hell, he’d be reunited with Harry after all. Well worth all the pain at the end of the road.

‘I once tortured a man who said love was like something lodged in your throat you can’t swallow; another like continuously falling from a great height- both sounded unpleasant. Something to be avoided.’

‘Those are way too simple, mate,’ _This is what’s left of my life now, explaining love to demons,_ ‘there’s no real way to define it. I mean, all the words in the world ain’t gonna help if you have nothing to base it on. Or something close to it, and you lot already told me that demons don’t love.’’

‘Demons can do whatever they want.’ It was defensive, and Eggsy had to breathe out a laugh.

‘Yeah, so you’ve said- but then none of you want to love, or you’d’ve figured it out already. You wouldn’t be asking me.’

‘Maybe we just don't want to give all our secrets away.’

‘Are you lot secretly five? That’s the logic my little sister uses to pretend she’s cleaned her mess when she’s just tucked it under the rug.’

‘Well, fine, maybe we can’t- but it’s a good thing. A blessing, if I can use the word. I mean, look at yourself,’ Merlin gestured vaguely at Eggsy, hunched over in the circle, ‘you’re dying, slowly, in a painted circle in the middle of your apartment- because you loved someone. You’re _dying_ and still you sit here waiting to see him again instead of get yourself to a doctor. At least at the end of this I’m still around- why put yourself through that?’

‘Well that’s my secret, then. Takin’ it to my grave- close as it is.’

‘Why not just close the circle and be done with it? Get to a hospital, live your life?’

‘I’d rather be with Harry, thanks.’ Merlin scoffed, and walked back into the abyss, leaving Eggsy alone with his thoughts. Scattered, but his own.

Eggsy took a moment to look down at the Book, ran one hand across the incredibly creepy cover, and smiled sadly. Sure, maybe he hadn’t been able to see Harry before he died- but he’d get to see him after. He’d come here with a mission, and he’d never been the type of person to leave a job undone- and what kind of life would be waiting for him without Harry, anyway? The months without him had been empty and faded- who could blame Eggsy for not wanting to go back to that?

‘I don’t want to die,’ Eggsy said to the emptiness, ‘but I don’t want to go back, neither. I don’t want to live without him.'

_You had to say it out loud._ Eggsy refused to acknowledge the hand this time- if he were dying, he’d do it on his terms and not looking like a nutter yelling at his own hand. _You know I can’t leave you alone._

‘And you’re exposing my thoughts to everyone!’

_Who? There’s no one here!_

‘But there will be, you need to stop or- or I’ll- I’ll cut you off!’ Eggsy brandished the knife from the beginning, blood crusted along the edge, and placed it against his wrist. ‘So stop.’

‘Are you _trying_ to die more quickly, or is this some pathetic attempt to rid yourself of the poison?’ Lo blinked innocently up at him from his place on the ground, and Eggsy dropped the knife- his hand wasn’t talking anymore.

‘You poisoned me.’

‘No, Chester did.’

‘The fuck’s it matter _who_ poisoned me, the end is the same. Fucking demon poison- but I wanna know: why? Why’d Harry have _your_ page marked? So many _bloody_ demons to choose from, feels like, and you’re the one marked off- why?’ Eggsy would deny he’d begged until his last breath (and that was far too close to contemplate) but he had to know. He needed to know.

‘Maybe he found me attractive,’ Lo framed his face between his mottled hands, blinking as if to flutter nonexistent eyelashes, ‘or maybe he just threw a marker into the Book in a rush and it was a simple coincidence.’ He shrugged, shoulders shifting against the ground as he lay on his back, and Eggsy growled. Maybe the circle was getting to him, maybe it was the poison, but either way he was at the end of his fucking rope.

‘You’re never going to give me a straight answer, are you? I’m a fucking _dying_ human, you already won, why are you so scared of me?’

‘Your false sense of security derived from a painted circle on the ground has given you quite the ego.’

‘I just don’ give a fuck anymore; I’m dying, why bother playin’ nice? Why’d you help him escape?

‘I don’t see how that’s any of your business-’

‘They _crushed your body!’_

'With good reason! I deserved it, I paid my price, and even dead you have no business in demon affairs.’ Eggsy keeled over, clutched desperately to his stomach and groaned in pain. ‘You’re not built for Hell, Eggsy. Trust me.’

‘I’m _dead chuffed_ that a demon would care so much for my well being-’

‘You can’t even do anything for Harry by staying here- he broke a sacred law, he’s a vile creature who will never again see the light of day!’

‘Well, maybe I don’ care about all that!

‘You should-’

‘I don’t give a _fuck_ about should or shouldn’t. I love him, and the shit you’ve spewed at me is a different Harry. Who he was here,’ Eggsy threw his hands about the circle, careful even now not to cross the barrier despite his pain, ‘isn’t the man I know. Everyone changes over time- even demons!’

‘Oh, and you’re the authority on that subject now?’

‘On Harry, yes.’ Eggsy was determined, lips firm, eyes hard, and looked at Lo like he would a spot of dirt on a freshly-cleaned floor. He turned, and lifted a hand like Lo had earlier, focusing entirely on the memory of he and Harry’s last night together. The night that changed everything.

\--

They were asleep together, the too-large bed covered in pillows and blankets, when suddenly Harry shot straight up, screaming at a decibel Eggsy was only now able to fully comprehend. Eggsy rolled over, sat up, and threw an arm across Harry’s shoulders before pulling him back down. They stayed there, Harry curled surprisingly small upon Eggsy’s chest, until Harry stopped shaking.

‘You wanna talk about it?’ Eggsy whispered, lips barely brushing Harry’s temple.

‘It’s just a dream- everyone has them.’ Harry evaded the question, keeping his face turned from Eggsy’s. ‘Just a dream.’

‘Not like that they don’t. You’ve been talkin’ in your sleep, y’know- apologising-’

‘Shhh.’ Harry placed one finger on Eggsy’s lips, suddenly on alert; body shifted at an angle and ear turned toward the door. ‘Tell me you don’t smell anything.’

‘... Now that you’ve mentioned it, smells like sulfur. You leave somethin’ on?’

‘... Shit.’ A now familiar green, scaled, hand grasped Harry by the scalp and threw him bodily from the bed, and Eggsy could only watch in horror as the horned demon walked fully into the room. Merlin lifted a hand, freezing Eggsy’s bid to move toward him, and then shoved him backward with a flick of his wrist. Demon magic had worked in the real world, that night.

Harry got back to his feet, eyes pale and face discoloured, and walked up to Merlin. He held himself like Wolverine, body tilted forward and hands extended at his sides as if ready to swipe and cut as opposed to punch.

‘Really, him?’ Merlin asked Harry, gesturing with his head to the unconscious Eggsy on the bed. ‘What makes him worth all this fuss?’

‘Merlin.’

‘Nice costume, sugar daddy.’

‘Go back.’

‘I plan to- but not without you.’

‘I’m stronger than you-’

‘But you’re long since out of practise.’ They fought, never touching but still managing to hurt one another, until Merlin managed to grab Harry by the throat. Literally. The sound of Harry choking managed to stir Eggsy, who sat up in bed and scrambled forward on the sheets. Merlin flicked his other wrist, and long, deep, gashes appeared on Eggsy’s chest. Harry heard Eggsy gasp in pain and fall back to the bed, and it rejuvenated him- he fought Merlin with renewed vigour to get to Eggsy’s side.

‘Eggsy!’ Harry breathed, but Eggsy couldn’t breathe. Harry was lying across his legs, torsos barely touching, trying to gauge the damage, and Eggsy _couldn’t breathe._ ‘He’s dying-’

‘I should hope so- I don’t scratch.’

‘Let me help him, and I’ll go with you. No more fighting, just… let me save him.’ Harry whispered, and Merlin simply gestured him forward with a wave of his hand. Harry crawled back upon the bed, carefully avoiding Eggsy’s mutilated chest, and kissed him softly. ‘I have to leave.’

‘H-H-Harry-’

‘Shhh,’ Harry lifted a hand, holding it over his torso with a look of pure determination, and a moment later Eggsy’s breathing evened out. ‘I’m sorry, Eggsy. I love you.’

Together, Harry and Merlin walked from the room, briefcase in hand.

\--

‘You came here for love- you know, you’re no better than Faust.’ Lo remarked after the scene faded, Eggsy’s heavy breathing still hovering throughout the room. Whether it was from now or then was impossible to tell.

‘Faust wanted power, and knowledge-’

‘Which is exactly what you want as well- you promised Harry that you would destroy that Book. If you’d truly loved him, you would have done as he’d asked. Only a mortal can harm that book- you betrayed your love just by coming here.’ Eggsy turned to Lo, far beyond done with this merry-go-round. ‘Do you think your Harry will forgive you?’

‘I’m only human, ain’t I?’ Eggsy said, determined to make Lo understand even if he died trying, ‘we’re allowed to make mistakes, we’re _expected_ to make mistakes and maybe loving Harry means I couldn’t do what he made me promise but don’t,’ Eggsy gritted out, ‘accuse me of betraying him, when all I’ve wanted was for him to be back where he belonged. Back home. With me.’

Lo laughed. ‘If you say so, kid.’ Eggsy saw red- this close to dying, why hold back?

‘Demon Lo I am you _master_ , you disgusting thing, I summoned you _and all your power_. I say roll over- since you can’t jump and all- and you _do it.’_ Eggsy breathed sharply through his teeth, ‘You’ve been showing me all sorts of shit I don’ care about to get me to leave. I. WON’T.

‘I’m not leaving here without Harry, and I command you Demon Lo to get him and bring him right in front of me and then _get the fuck out of my sight.’_ Lo looked at Eggsy with wide eyes, but said nothing more before dragging himself away, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy. Eggsy couldn’t bring himself to be sorry for cutting off Lo’s fun, slow-acting or not he was dying and he only had one real chance at this now.

\--

It could have been a moment, it could have been a year (who knew how slow demon poisons were, anyway) but between one breath and the next Harry was there. Beautiful, perfect, Harry with his hair and suit pristine and his glasses clear, a small sad smile on his lips. He was propped on his elbows, eye level with the collapsed Eggsy, cheekbones highlighted in the candlelight. All that fuss, and Lo had managed it at last.

‘Hello, Eggsy.’ There was something sad in his voice, but Eggsy couldn’t bring himself to do more than shrug a shoulder.

‘Hello, Harry.’

‘Strange place for a date.’ Harry’s mouth quirked on one side, barely showing his teeth.

‘Yeah, but the only man worth datin’ was down here.’ A long silence stretched between them. Sad, broke only by laboured breathing, but not awkward.

‘... You kept the Book.’

‘I tried to burn it- I did- but I just- just,’ Eggsy sighed, pained, ‘I just couldn’t, and I dunno why. Swear down I tried-’

‘It’s okay.' Harry interrupted, a small glittering in his eyes. 'You know they weren’t happy when they found Faust in the case- thank you, it was a comedic moment in what was a very dark period. Your gift has been-’

‘I’m here to take you home, Harry.’ Eggsy couldn’t let him continue on, talking of his time in Hell like a poorly-envisioned vacation. They had somewhere to be; they had a home to get back to.

‘I know. I’m doing cartwheels, can’t you see them?’

‘Don’t you Parks and Rec me, Harry- I need you to tell me what page I need to read to get us _both_ back home, Harry.’

‘You still want me- after everything you’ve heard? Hell’s gold standard reaper?’

‘But I know that’s not the Harry Hart I know-’

‘But it is.’ It’s stated simply, but it makes Eggsy’s head spin. But, he’d come this far, and he wasn’t leaving without him. They’d work through everything a bit at a time- every relationship had its problems.

‘Well, you swear you won’t eat me and I’ll marry you. You, me, my shitty flat and all the butterflies you can fit inside. May even let you get a dog like you always wanted.’

‘You love me?’ It was whispered to himself, as if Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but he looked back at Eggsy with fire in his eyes. ‘Page 1108,’ Eggsy flipped through the pages as quickly as his debilitated body could manage. Eventually he found the page, but Eggsy couldn’t bring himself to do more than drink in the sight of Harry by candlelight

‘Tiana.’ Harry started, tongue caressing the words much the way he had Eggsy’s name that first day. He stared for a moment before realising that he was supposed to repeat what Harry said- why open the book at all, if Harry could just recite it all?

‘Tiana.’

‘Fate Simae.’

‘Fate Simae.’

‘Nevt Tiana Simae.’

‘Nevt Tiana Simae.’

‘Tan Corse Si.’

‘Tan Corse Si.’

Harry reached across the circle like there was no barrier, as if there was nothing but open floor between them, and kissed Eggsy deeply. Softly. The opposite of their circumstances, what with being in hell and all. Eggsy felt like something was finally settling back into place, like the colour was bleeding back into the world; like he’d finally stopped being more spirit than self.

Harry pulled back, and grasped the empty glass in one hand before spitting the poisoned brandy back inside.

‘I can’t go with you, Eggsy.’ It’s sad, but stated as fact, and Eggsy won’t stand for it.

‘The fuck do you mean you can’t- we’ll hide, change our names, they won’t find us-’

‘They will, Eggsy- and next time, I won’t be able to save you. I’m afraid I used that bargaining chip, already. They find us up there, let alone together, and we’re both finished.’

‘Then let me stay here with you- I can adapt I’ll figure it-’

‘No! No, no…’ Harry looked back into Eggsy’s eyes, frantic, ‘this is not where I will have you spend eternity. You get no say in this, you have so much left to experience Eggsy and I will not have you giving that up to be with me. Much as it hurts me to let you go, you _belong_ up there- you’ll figure it out.’

‘What have I got to live for up there without you?’

‘I’m not a man, Eggsy,’ Harry’s voice reverberates around the room, haunting and clear, ‘I’m not even human.’

‘But you love me, yeah?’ The poison was gone, but his body was too weak to protest too harshly. Eggsy wished he could clear the guilt from Harry’s eyes.

‘Sometimes, Eggsy, love is not enough.’ Harry began to lean back out of the circle. ‘Please, burn the book- it’s not fair. To either of us.’ He paused and lifted a hand, and something in the air changed. ‘You’re going home, Eggsy. And I’m going to stay in this place to make sure of it.’ Harry turned away, and began to lean himself back into the abyss.

‘Harry-’ He turned back, heartbreak etched in every glorious crease, and Eggsy felt a traitorous tear slide down his face. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes, and froze.

Lo met Eggsy’s gaze, half covered in shadow. He looked away, breaking the fragile moment between them, and finished dragging himself away.

\--

Eggsy came to in his apartment, drooling on the floor and face planted on a small puddle of dried blood. Disgusting.

He got up, slowly, and dusted himself off- surprised to find the cut still there, having thought it all a fantastical dream. But no, the Book was there, the blood was there, and his apartment was still boarded up to he- boarded up inside.

He scraped off the paint as best he could, used some thinner, and then gave up and put the carpet back over it. Someone would make an unpleasant discovery someday, but that wasn’t a problem for today. He pulled down the boards from the windows, the light nearly blinding him, and started cleaning up.

He used a hammer to break some of the wood down, gathered up some old newsprint, and shoved it all into a metal bin before he put it out on the sil.

He put the Book atop the pile, and dropped a match.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, find me on tumblr at [AgentDagonet](http://www.agentdagonet.tumblr.com)


End file.
